Dallas home cooks now have wide access to the artisan flours and cornmeals favored by top Texas chefs. This fall, Barton Springs Mill’s organic, heirloom grain and corn products debuted in the bulk departments of Central Market and Whole Foods Market. They’re also sold by some smaller, local vendors such as Brown Bag Provisions. The mill’s retail expansion dovetailed with the quarantine baking craze, which they say fueled a surge in online flour orders.
Based in Dripping Springs, the 4-year-old mill sources grains and corn for its products mostly from farms across Texas. Through its close relationships with farmers, Barton Springs has led a revival of seed strains planted in Texas in the early 1900s. The mill provides the farmers with seeds for the heirloom, heritage, and landrace grains that impart distinctive flavors to the mill’s products. A stone mill, imported from Austria, is used to grind the flours and cornmeals for a superior texture.
In this age of industrial farming and commercial flour production, Barton Springs is a rarity. It’s been more than 100 years since the last mill operated in Texas. The mill takes the name of Austin’s famous springs, which powered local mills in the 19th century.
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